ABOUT MY ART

Inspiration

Since I was a kid I've been a fan of animal and anthropomorphic animal characters. I have always enjoyed drawing and watching a lot of cartoons / animated movies, which inspired me to draw the characters. Some of my favorite films / animated series I did fanart for were for example (screenshots below):

The foxes of "The animals of Farthing Wood"

The wolves of UFA's junglebook

Balto

The Lion King

Eventually I started creating my own characters and stories. A few years later I almost completely stopped drawing existing movie characters and concentrated on my own characters and artwork for other people. I'm often taking part in projects, both public and personal ones, and also display my artwork in art shows at conventions.

My inspiration to draw - things that I love! For example certain favorite species, characters, sceneries, situations, favorite movies or series or books. The possibility to create worlds, express my feelings, illustrate situations, make others smile, laugh or cry (in a good / artistic way). The best ideas I simply get from life, and keeping my eyes open - there are so many inspirations out there, and I always note down every idea I have, no matter how silly it may seem at first.

Styles and expressions

I enjoy all kind of different art styles - both realistic and stylized/toony ones. Usually I prefer a nice mix of both - animals with realistic elements such as fur or anatomy, but with toony / anthropomorphic expressions.

My personal drawing style usually has a realistic influence (anatomy), but often a toony, stylized or exaggerated touch (I love to play with facial expressions and body language). I have always been a fan of anthropomorphic animals that have more the appearance of an animal rather than a human (digitigrade legs instead of plentigrade, paws instead of hands, mane instead of hair, etc.). Something I am very fond of are hybrid characters (mixed / fantasy breeds) and the artistic possibilities / freedom you have here.

It is nice when a picture tells a story or message, that's why I love funny pictures or emotional artwork. A simple landscape or an animal's portrait can be beautiful, but usually it's the anthropomorphic touch/expression that fascinates me the most.

Digital / Traditional art

I enjoy both working digitally (Adobe Photoshop / graphic tablet) and with traditional (real) media. Of course I also mix boths styles, like drawing a sketch with pencil and color it on my computer.

Both ways are appealing and have their advantages and limits. For real media, it requires a different knowledge (how to work with a brush, how long it takes colors to dry or how the colors blend, etc.), as each material works differently. And of course you have a nice original piece of artwork at the end.

For digital art, you have way more possibilities to play around with colors, effects, filters, shadings or backgrounds, as you can easily edit them later (using layers) or adjust mistakes. You can make several prints and easily adjust the sizes, but you don't have an "original" at the end (of course you can limit prints to make them more precious).

I recommend to not stick to one style only. Try out new things - working with different media is a lot of fun and it helps to improve your skills and experiences. For example I also like to do small animations or simple 3D forms, as well as sculpturing and working with fabrics (fursuits or plush animals).

What do I draw

I enjoy drawing a large variety of anthropomorphic / animal art (animals mixed with human anatomy or abilities). If I have the choice, I usually prefer drawing feral characters (walking on four legs). The species I draw the most are canines (wolves and foxes), felines (snow leopards) and hybrids, however I also enjoy drawing most other furred creatures (there are only a few species that I do not enjoy drawing, for example apes, pigs or marine anthro characters), dragons and fantasy animals. When it comes to backgrounds I prefer natural environments.

I haven't drawn (m)any humans so far, as I simply don't enjoy drawing them (however I like watching animated movies with humans, including Japanese anime). Other themes I am not very experienced with and don't enjoy drawing for example are technical things like machines, robots, engines, cars or complicated buildings.

Sometimes people ask me if I draw Pokemon or other copyrighted characters. If I like a character (for example Lion King), I may do that (fanart / all credits given). However I am not going to imitate other people's styles for a commission.